Dan.

"vellous Things against the God of Gods, and "fhill Profper, till the Indignation be Accomplish"ed; for That that is determined shall be done.

This part of his Character fhews He is the fame Power that should be in the Laft End of the VIIL,19. Indignation; for at the Time Appointed the End should be. And juft before this Character, in the XI Chapter, we find, it is at the Time of the XI. 35 End; for it is yet for a Time appointed: His Corrupting by Flatteries, anfwers alfo to His 132 causing Craft to profper in his Hand, through VIII. 25. bis Policy, and His Magnifying Himself above XI. 36. every God, and speaking Marvellous Things against the God of Gods, is perfectly conformable to His Magnifying Himfelf in His Heart, and standing VIII. 25. up against the Prince of Princes. And thus it is out of all queftion, that the Perfon taking away the Daily, and fetting up the Abomination, in the XI. Chapter is the fame with the Perfon who is faid to do it in the VIII. And then it will follow, it must be ftill the fame mentioned in the XII. which is but a Continuation of the Vifion of the XI. But the greateft Confirmation

of

of the meaning of this Character given in the XI. Chapter, in this 36th Verfe, is given by St. Paul;

"Now we beseech you, Brethren, by the 2 Thess. Coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and by our

gathering together unto him,

"That

ye

be not foon fhaken in Mind, or be "Troubled, neither by Spirit nor by Word, nor by Letter, as from us, as that the Day of "Chrift is at Hand.

"Let no Man deceive you by any means, for "that day fhall not come, except there come "a Falling away firft, and that Man of Sin be "Revealed, the Son of Perdition,

"Who Oppofeth and Exalteth Himself above "all that is called God, or that is Worshipped, "fo that He, as God, fitteth in the Temple of "God, fhewing Himself that He is God: "

II. 1.

2.

3'

This is fo much in the fame Terms with Dan. XI.

Daniel, that it is not to be doubted, they mean the

36.

2 Thef

fame, efpecially fince our Saviour after having II 1, 3° given the like cautions with St. Paul.

"And ye fhall hear of Wars and Rumours

"of

Matth.

"of Wars, fee that be not Troubled, for

ye

XXIV 5. "all thefe things must come to pass, but the

15.

"End is not yet," adds the particular sign which agrees with the Falling away, mentioned by St. Paul, and expreffes it thus;

"When ye therefore shall fee the Abomination. "of Lefolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet,, *) Mark "ftand in the Holy Place, or (*) where it ought XIII. 14. not, as St. Mark expreffes it.

verf. 7.

Luke xxi. 8,9.

By which Words

of our Saviour we may fee, that then would come that Tribulation of which I have given a particular Explanation already.

St. Mark gives the fame account, almoft in the fame Words, and St. Luke is yet ftronger in his Caution against any that fhould fay, The Time draweth near, for the End was not by and by.. There is nothing gives any difficulty in these Matth. Gofpels, but thefe expreffions, Then let them xxiv. 16. which be in Judea, flee to the Mountains, in St. Mark Matthew and St. Mark, and, When ye shall fee Jerufalem Compaffed with Armies, then know that the Defolation thereof is nigh, in St. Luke.

XIII. 14

Luk. xxi

20.

204.

But when we confider the meaning of Jeru

Lalem

falem being trodden down by the Gentiles; as explained by St. John's Revelations, that the Rev. xi. Gentiles should tread down the Holy City Forty and Two Months, and that St. John gives the Chriftians

2.

9.

VII. 4.

7.

no other Name in his Revelations but Jews, and Rev. II. calls the Church and Christian World Jerusalem, 1119,12, and that the One Hundred and Forty Four Thoufand, are out of all the Tribes of Ifrael; and when we confider that the Question in St. Matthew Matth. is mixt, when shall these things be, and what shall xxiv. be the fign of thy coming, and of the End of the Mark World? and that St. Mark and St. Luke certainly xiii. 4. Luke xxi meant the fame Things, by the Question, What should be the Sign when these Things should be fulfilled, or come to pass? Which may and ought, in order to Reconcile these two Evangelifts with St. Matthew, to be taken in this Senfe, When thefe Things come to pass, what Sign will they be to us who expect a Sign of thy Coming, and of the End of the World? I fay, if we confider, that these Questions are thus mixt, we may certainly conclude, that our Saviour's Answer is also mixt, and that he speaks of the Destruction of S

the

.

the Temple and literal Jerufalem, as a Sign of the Fates of His own Church, which were not fo very near, but of which other Events, that were very near, would be a Sign and a Parable for their Inftruction. And in fact, as for the Sins of the Jews, Jerufalem was Compaffed with Armies,. and laid Waste, fo for the Sins of the Chriftians Matth. after the beginning of Sorrows, that is, the Hea XXIV. then Perfecutions ceafed, and they were Masters of the World, under Conftantine, a Chriftion: Emperor, and his Followers, God in his Provi. dence ordered it fo, that the Barbarous Nations: compaffed them with Armies, and laid the Wftern Roman Empire Waste, and fo took away Him that with-holdeth, of whom St. Paul alfo fays, He that letteth will Let, till He be taken out of the way: And then shall that Wicked be Revealed.

2. TheЛl.

II. 6.

༡་

8.

3, 4, 8.

And thus we fee, that when the Western Empire -fell, which was in the Year 455. that the Period of this Man of Sin was to Commence. Then: many were Offended, and Betrayed one another, and false Prophets arofe, and the Love of many 11, 12. waxed Cold, and Iniquity abounded, which St

Matth.

xxiv. 10,